---o---
A so-called "love breakfast" is a meal made for you by the one you love. What's on the plate isn't important; what matters is the sentiment behind it.
The white-haired girl, who had woken up early in search of food, looked at the young man who had suddenly appeared before her holding a lavish breakfast tray, and her delicate face registered a hint of alarm.
For a girl unaccustomed to social interaction, having someone publicly confess to her was an event far beyond her comprehension.
How to handle such a situation was, naturally, a question well beyond the scope of her experience.
Faced with this completely unsolvable problem, Miss Kiana's first instinct was to run.
She decided she would simply avoid Li Zihan from now on, solving the problem through evasion.
Guided by this thought, the girl named Kiana almost instinctively spun around, preparing to flee back to her room.
And then—
The young man's counsel reached her ears.
"I'll be the one making all the meals from now on. If you keep avoiding me, you're going to go hungry quite often."
"And I don't think you'd like the feeling of an empty stomach, would you?"
The girl, who had the blood of a super-soldier flowing through her veins and thus a massive appetite—and who, unlike her ancestor, couldn't substitute Honkai energy for sustenance—froze in place.
"Today's breakfast was made according to your nationality, you know. Won't you at least try it?"
The young man, whose eyes were reminiscent of the blazing sun, casually placed the dishes on the dining table, continuing to state the facts.
The girl who had turned away hesitated, a hint of wavering on her face.
"Besides, we're living under the same roof. Don't you think it's a little ridiculous to try and distance yourself from me just by hiding?"
Knowing full well that Kiana didn't really want to see him, the young man spoke in a light, cheerful tone.
"What's more, Ishtar's temple is just the first stop on our journey. We'll be going to other places later. Unless you plan on staying here all by yourself, we're destined to travel together."
The rather heartbreaking reality of her situation sank into the ears of the girl who had stopped in her tracks.
The white-haired girl remained silent for a long moment before turning back around. Under the young man's watchful gaze, she returned to the dining table.
Li Zihan was telling the truth. Trying to end his pursuit through avoidance was a foolish endeavor.
"Go on, try some."
The young man, who actually had no idea what Kiana liked to eat and had simply cooked based on the popular tastes of the Germanic region, cheerfully pushed Kiana's portion toward her.
Kiana looked down at the breakfast before her, a mixture of a traditional German breakfast and the stubborn masterpiece of Great Britain.
The portion was generous, and the variety was extensive.
Even a quick glance revealed grilled tomatoes, butter-fried scrambled eggs, roasted sausages, mushrooms drizzled with cheese sauce, and, clearly prepared for a German with a sweet tooth, toast with jam and oatmeal mixed with honey.
If just one person made all this, it must have taken an hour or two, thought the girl, unaware that this man was an expert at manipulating time within a localized area.
Does that mean he woke up very early to start preparing breakfast, and even made some of these dishes specifically for me?
A strange feeling began to blossom in the girl's heart.
However, she said nothing. She simply lowered her head, sipped her oatmeal, and quietly picked up her knife and fork, taking small bites of the food from her plate.
Unlike Sirin, who always wolfed down her food, Kiana ate quickly but elegantly. Thus, even though the two looked identical, it was easy to tell them apart.
Li Zihan smiled, sitting to the side and watching the girl eat with her eyes downcast, making idle comparisons in his head.
"I'm full. Thank you for the meal."
The words came out stiffly. She quickly stood up from the table and walked toward her room with hurried steps.
Faced with this scene, the young man didn't get angry. He remained smiling, calling out to the girl's retreating back.
"For lunch, would you prefer Chinese or French? Or perhaps some Turkish cuisine?"
"Whatever you want."
The girl didn't even turn her head, her reply utterly cold.
"Pfft—"
After the girl named Kiana had left, the sound of another girl's laughter rang out from the side.
Li Zihan looked over and saw the useless goddess whose attributes heavily overlapped with Aqua's—Ishtar.
"What's so funny?"
Li Zihan looked at the goddess who seemed to be mocking him and raised an eyebrow.
"It seems, dear Mr. Supreme God, that your path of love isn't going so smoothly."
The useless goddess, who had also been drawn out by the aroma of food, looked at the young man who had clearly tried to curry favor with the girl named Kiana only to receive a frigid response. A teasing smile played on her lips.
"Do you require the great Lady Ishtar to guide you? To set you on the express path to love?"
The goddess, whose authorities were extremely broad and even touched upon the domain of a love god, patted the barren mounds on her chest and spoke proudly to the foreign deity who had seemingly been rebuffed.
"For a fee, of course," the goddess, who clearly had money on her mind, quickly added.
"My conquest is going very smoothly, thank you. I don't need your help."
The young man, who genuinely felt his pursuit of Kiana was progressing, spoke leisurely.
"Hah?"
Ishtar stared, dumbfounded, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous thing.
"Hey, hey, hey, that little girl Kiana is completely ignoring you, and you're telling me your conquest is going smoothly?"
"My good man, don't tell me your grand plan is to keep fawning over her while she gives you the cold shoulder? Just a full-on simp offensive?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
The young man, who saw shades of both Sirin and Bronya in Kiana, smiled faintly.
"There are two kinds of simps: those who simp until the very end and get nothing, and those who simp until the very end and get everything."
"If the final outcome is getting everything, what's wrong with being a simp for a little while?"
"..."
Hearing Li Zihan's words, Ishtar fell silent for a moment. Then, as if trying to pull a simp back from the brink of ruin, she warned him.
"But that girl, Kiana, is clearly resisting you."
It was true. Li Zihan had not made a good impression on Kiana.
He was connected to Otto, the greatest shadow in her life.
And he was pursuing her while already having a lover, which made him the worst kind of scumbag.
"But what does that matter?" the young man, who had once fought with Sirin over Mei and had also been friend-zoned by Bronya many times, said calmly.
"A person who is lonely and starved for affection will instinctively respond to the kindness of others."